Hide and go Seek
by Tizzylish
Summary: BA AU, BA are in high schoolcollege and are forced to go underground after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Can they ever get ther lives back? PLEASE R&R, Chapter's 7 and 8 are up
1. chapter 1

Title: Hide and Go Seek...

Author: Tizzylish

Disclaimer: If I were Joss I would not be posting my stories here......

Premise: AU, Buffy and Angel are forced to go underground after they discover corruption in their tiny hometown town.....What will it take for them to be able to return? Also this is told in two timelines that will eventually converge....

Warning: NOT BETA'd

Rating: Could get up into the R area for violence and unpleasant content....But hose parts will be labeled for now we'll say PG-13... (I think there could be swearing in this chapter)....

It was the mocha smell that wafted through the window that woke him up, the familiar smell of cappuccinos and fresh brewed coffee brought him out of his peaceful dream and into his nightmarish world. In the few seconds before he opened his eyes he thought he was back home but reality invaded his world when a car alarm down the street began to sound.

He turned over on his bed, looking out the dirty window pane trying to decipher the forecast for the day; it looked like another sunny January morning in Boston. Sitting up he reached for the old TV turning it on so he could try and catch the news, the voice of the anchorwoman kept him company as he rose from his bed.

Dressed in a pair of sweatpants he reached for a T-shirt slipping it on and walking over to the kitchen area of his dingy apartment. It really was a crappy place, the beige wallpaper was peeling and most of the second hand furniture was broken mended scrappily with pieces of silver duct tape. The apartment it self was a studio with a great room where the bed was located along with the TV and an armchair that had stuffing sticking out of it. On the opposite wall was a small kitchenette where the dirty refrigerator and stove were left practically unused along with a small table and chair set. There was a bathroom too, a door next to the bed led to the tiny water closest where there was a just a toilet, shower stall and sink. It was a dirty disgusting place and he hated it there.

Going about his daily morning routine he opened a strawberry pop tart eating cold while he waited for the coffee to brew. It was while he was listening to the news that he noticed the other body in the bed start to move. He smiled she was the only thing that made him smile any more.

Her blonde hair fell carelessly around her shoulders messy from her nocturnal movements. The T-shirt she had worn to sleep on dwarfed her small body after all it belonged to him, she rose from the bed and walked over to the kitchen walking right past him to sit on one of the kitchen chairs. She pulled a pop tart out for herself and looked over at him menacingly.

"It's Friday." She spoke coldly curling her legs underneath her as she tried to warm herself up she hated the cold that seemed to be always persistent on the east coast. Granted they had only been there since November, missing the last traces of Indian summer that often lingered.

"Yeah it is, what does that have to do with anything?" He answered her statement nonchalantly.

"You know exactly what it means, rents due." She answered standing up and walking over to the bed pulling the duffel bag from under it where she kept her clothes. Pulling out her dirty jeans and a sweat shirt, she dressed quickly while keeping her t-shirt on fully aware that he was watching her.

"Oh yeah rent," He looked down at the dirty countertop, trying to figure out how he was going to pay rent. "Well if I get paid today we'll be fine. So I guess you'll just have to stay in all day," he looked at her, "And don't answer the door." He voice was stern if it wasn't for the fact that they hated each other she would have thought he sounded concerned.

"Fine I guess I'll stay in all day here, what time do you get off work?" She was pissed another day of captive duty stuck in the apartment making no noise and he could tell.

"I'll be back around 4:30." He answered her coolly, he didn't understand why she was still so angry at him they both gotten themselves into this mess it was her fault as much as it was his.

"Fine don't you have to leave soon anyway?" She walked over to the kitchen and picked up the mugs and began to watch them while she tried not to watch him get dressed into his work clothes which consisted of black jeans and a wife beater. Both were filthy, they really needed to head to the Laundromat soon. He then picked up his jacket and keys and nodded at here as he walked towards the door.

"Oh and Buffy remember, no noise, try to catch up on your reading." He smirked at her while he fixed the collar on his leather jacket; she gave him a dirty look and said, "Have a crummy day Angel." Then proceeding to watch him walk out the door.

During mornings like this where she wasn't allowed to leave the apartment Buffy resented Angel the most, where she longed for the life she had lived before. The life where she was just another 17 year old girl in a regular public high school not a wanted fugitive, she wished she could go back to that and get out of this hellish existence. She walked over to the TV shutting it off and walking over to the bed which she promptly made and then went back to the kitchen to gather some cleaning supplies.

It was her mission to get the tiny disgusting apartment clean; it was her mission with all the other apartments too. In the two months they had been on Boston she had scrubbed the apartment down five times and it still didn't look any better. They never did, not the places in Philadelphia, New York, or D.C those scum holes hadn't been any better. But still she needed something to do all day she was never allowed to go anywhere.

She pulled the generic window cleaner out and spayed the elixir over the window by the bed the ammonia smell reminded her of how her mother had always tried to make the windows so clean you couldn't tell that they were there. She used to laugh and say that if a bird ever flew into one she would no her job was done but then she would have to wash the window over again.

Buffy began to tear up, not just at the distant memory of her mother but because of the life she had lived when her mother was still alive. She had been decently popular dating the captain of the basketball team; she had her circle of friends that had worshipped her. She was the epitome of the average high school girl, until he entered back into the picture. Sometimes she couldn't believe they had only been on the run for seven months and sometimes she felt like they had left the day before. It was a hard life to live being on the run, but she had made her bed and now she had to lie in it. As much she liked blaming her downfall on Angel she knew she was just as responsible as he was.

Angel made the quick walk to the T in the cold thinking about Buffy. He would often find himself musing about the little blonde haired ex-cheerleader, thinking about her made his life almost bearable hell if he was honest with himself being with her made his life exponentially better. Even though she hated him, he still found himself in love with her. He was sorry that this was her life now that this was their lives now but he wasn't sure if he would trade this life it meant he would no longer be around her.

He stepped onto his train and rode to the construction site. He couldn't believe this is what he did now; he used to be a college freshman. He had been studying history at UC Sunnydale, he had wanted to be teacher but now he was just another guy who worked construction a nameless faceless nobody.

He was lucky that day, his boss decided to pay him, Angel looked at the check, the typed out numbers made out to Liam Devlin, was just going to be enough to cover the rent. Good Buffy would be not really happy but less annoyed than usual if she knew she could go out but it didn't look they were going to have enough for food. Well they could go food shopping tomorrow. Angel was always surprised at how adept a little thief Buffy had become. She could steal anything, it seemed she was always pulling interesting things out of her pockets, sometimes he wondered were she put it all.

He arrived at his door around 4:30 just as he said he would and found his door ajar. He rushed into the apartment to see there landlord pounding on the bathroom door where he now assumed Buffy was hiding. Boy did he look pissed.

"Mr. Suarez, what are you doing here?" Angel asked getting the short man's attention away from the door.

"Mr. Devlin, the rent is due and I was trying to get it from your little wife here but she just wouldn't cooperate with me and then locked herself in the bathroom." His tone made him sound innocent but Angel had a strong feeling that he was far from it. Besides the alcohol fumes coming off his body made him all the more less trustful.

"I have your rent right here, in fact I was just in your office but you weren't there." Angel smoothly lied as he handed the money he had cashed in order to pay rent.

"Thank you," Mr. Suarez took the envelope and headed out of the apartment while Angel rushed to the bathroom door.

"Buffy it's OK, he's gone, you can come out now." He spoke in a soft voice trying to comfort her. He knew she was on the other side of the door scared out of her mind and trying not to think about past events.

"Buffy let me in OK, I promise he's gone now, and I'm here nobody can hurt you when I'm here remember?" Still using his soft tone he heard the lock on the bathroom door click open. Angel gently pushed the door open and found Buffy sitting on the floor in a ball against the sink. She looked up at him, her eyes containing all the hurt she had lived through, Angel sat down on the floor and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back as she relaxed into his hold listening to her tears as he whispered words of comfort to her. It was the same almost every night, she would break down he would comfort her, put her to bed, and in the morning she would hate him all over again. But every night they lived through it over all over again.


	2. chapter 2

The previous April:

"Shit, my Mom's gonna kill me if she sees that grade." Buffy said as he looked down at her report card which said US History 11- D. Buffy hated history, she believed in carpe diem, to live her life in the now. Why did she have to learn about what a bunch of dead guys a hundred years ago did?

"Oh yeah she is, Buffy how could you do so badly?" Cordy asked her, "I mean its history all you have to do is memorize dates and stuff you don't even learn anything!" She looked at her friend for a brief moment before looking back into the mirror to check her hair.

"Well I guess some of us aren't as gifted as you are." Buffy huffed before putting the offending piece of paper into her purse. She was glad it was the end of the day she was free to spend her last grounded free hours with her boyfriend while he got ready for practice. But when her mom got home tonight at 6:30 she was going to be in serious trouble.

Later when Riley was walking her home she was distracted trying to figure out how to get out her punishment. He must have sensed her distance because it wasn't until he asked her where she was that she responded to him.

"Sorry, just worried about what Mom is going to do to me when she sees my history grade." She smiled up at him. He was a tall, blonde, blue-eyed, All American boy and he for some reason unknown to her liked Buffy.

"It'll be fine Buffy, in fact why don't you suggest that you get a tutor? It will show her that you want to improve. Maybe she'll be more lenient." They arrived at her door and he leaned into her and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. He smiled encouragingly at her "Remember Buffy, try the tutor thing."

"Thanks Riley, I will." She smiled back at him as he walked through her front door to face her mother's wrath.

"1630 Revello Drive?" Angel O'Conner asked the woman on the phone. A Mrs. Summers he read looking down on his note pad, wanting him to tutor her daughter Buffy. He was tutoring because he needed the extra money to go towards his tuition for the next year, but he had a feeling 'Buffy' was not going to be a walk in the park. He though to himself what kind of a name is Buffy anyhow?

Angel arrived at the Summer's residence on time and rang the bell. He stood shifting slightly on his feet while he waited for someone to answer the door. When the door did open he was greeted by one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was probably about five feet tall with shoulder length blonde hair and hazel eyes, very cute in her little tan skirt and red halter top.

"You must be Angel, I'm Buffy." She spoke; Angel realized he should probably say something.

"Yes, I'm Angel. It's a nice to meet you Buffy." He smiled at her.

He was very very very cute, was Buffy's first thought OK actually no he wasn't cute he was hot. With thick brown hair that he wore all spiked up and the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen, when he spoke she discovered he had a rich and warm voice and then he smiled the sexiest half smile she had ever seen. Part of her was melting while standing in front of him.

"Um you should probably come in." Buffy stated and stepped out of the door frame in order to let his tall broad frame into the room. She lead him to the dinning room, where she had set up her books and they sat down and started to work. Angel going over the war of 1812 with Buffy, Trying not to think about how close she was and concentrating on the material at hand.

Present day:

The next morning things went about the same as usual for a Saturday, Buffy and Angel woke up after noon and left to go get food. Buffy managed to steal some bread, fruit, and cheeses. Angel got some small bottles of milk and such and paid for some chips and juice. They spent most of the day no talking the other both reading different sections of the globe.

Buffy hated the weekend days they were so boring if she had been home she would be hanging around with Cordelia trying to decide what to wear to the Bronze that night. She often found herself wondering how Cordelia was, wondering if Cordy ever thought about her. Oh how the mighty had fallen she thought, the prom queen living in a rat hole in South Boston trying to figure out how she was ever going to have a future, if right now life was lead day by day. No plans.

Before she had wanted to go to college, she didn't really know what for but it seemed like it would be fun. She had been to a couple of frat parties in high school and they were fun. But Buffy knew that she would probably go to college, get married and have kids. Well after she was done having a life, she laughed to herself; at seventeen she was done having a life. She couldn't call her and Angel's running a life; they merely just existed in order to survive.

He was looking at her again she noticed, he often looked at her and it was in those moments that she saw the guy that had walked on her porch to tutor her. She was in the middle of the entertainment section when the knock on the door sounded. Angel got up to get it.

Pulling the door out as far as the chain would allow it to go Angel peaked out to see who was at the door.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Mrs. Anne Devlin?" a nervous British voice asked. The man was probably in his mid-thirties dressed in a soft blue tweed suit. And he looked really uncomfortable in the dilapidated hallway.

"Who are you?" Angel asked suspicious of the well dressed visitor. He could count on one hand the number of visitors they had in all the apartments.

"Oh sorry, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, I'm a private investigator and my employer is quite keen on finding Mrs. Devlin, are you by chance Mr. Devlin?" He asked his bravado growing slightly after announcing his profession. Angel suspected that he hadn't been in the business long.

"What does your employer want with her?" Angel asked hoping the man's nerves and naiveté would let him keep the upper hand.

"Oh he was the owner of her last apartment, he says she left some property there and he would like to return it." Mr. Pryce said quickly not even realizing his mistake, he watched Angel think over quickly what they could have left that would be worth enough for their land lord to try and find them. Coming up with nothing he faced the man again.

"I'm sorry sir, Anne Devlin is my aunt, and she's traveling through Europe right now. I don't think she's who you're looking for anyways because I don't believe she's ever lived in anywhere else in a long time." Angel answered watching the man's face fall, he thought he had her and now she had slipped away once again. The senior partners would not be pleased.

Angel shut the door after watching the man leave and turned to Buffy.

"We're moving again aren't we?" Buffy asked she could tell by look on his face that it was time to blow out of Boston.

"Yup, get yourself packed. We're going back to California."


	3. chapter 3

Hey guys!!! Thank you to everyone for all the lovely feedback.....well here's chapter 3.....thank you truly to everyone who's reading..... Sorry guys but it's not saving any of my timeline breaks so I guess I'm going to have to tell you because its going to start going back and forth a lot for awhile... stuff in the past is going to be labeled before the stuff now is going to be labeled after....

Before:

She was supposed to be there, he was sure he heard her say that she was going to the Bronze that night. OK so maybe she had been on the phone in the kitchen at the time and not talking to him, but he was pretty sure. It was ridiculous he had no business being at the club at all, yes sometimes the college kids would come and hang around dance and such but none of them came because they were falling for their 16 year old tuturee.

That's why he was there, he wanted to see Buffy. Angel was standing on the fringe of the room in perfect view of the door just waiting for the little blonde to make an appearance. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a blue silk shirt that he wore un-tucked to give him a more casual look.

He had been tutoring Buffy for almost three weeks and her grades had improved immensely, and they got along really well. An easiness surrounded them that neither really knew where it came from. In fact now he was helping her with her final project a 5 page research paper on the Mayor. So far they had been able to pool a lot of resources and a secretary at the Mayor's office said he might even have time to give her an interview.

Angel didn't want to think about school work right then he wanted to think about the little blonde who had just walked into the club. As fast as that little feeling of joy invaded his heart it fell the moment he saw her blonde jock boyfriend follow behind her. Riley Finn, seemed like a nice enough guy, but there was just something about his completely wholesome attitude that bugged Angel. If Angel had to pick out the male half of the great all-American couple he would have picked Finn, he was just too sunny.

Angel stepped away from the wall, and deeper into the shadows as he circled the small dark club, he watched as Buffy and Riley joined a table with another annoyingly perfect High School jock and Buffy's friend Cordelia. Deciding he didn't want to indulge his now stalker like tendencies, he was beginning to scare himself, he stepped towards the exit. He was almost through the door when he felt a small hand on his arm.

"Angel?" He turned his head towards the voice he instantly recognized, "Wow, it is you." Buffy stated once she got a look at his face. It made sense he was there she could almost swear she felt something inside her turn on every time whenever he was around. She looked up into eyes becoming mesmerized for a moment as he smiled down at her, then his eyes turned to her hand on his arm.

"Oh well it's nice to see you here." She said removing her hand. "I mean this place doesn't really seem like your scene." He let out a small chuckle before looking at her again.

"And what exactly do you think my scene is?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Watching her blush slightly realizing what she had said could be found insulting. "It's OK, I really am more of a book person but I do leave the library every once and awhile." He teased her, she smiled back up at him.

"Well I had better get back to my friends it was really nice to see you Angel." Buffy said in truth she had forgotten her friends were even there, it wasn't until she saw Riley stand up to look for her that she remembered them. Truth was when Angel was around she sometimes felt like the lights dimmed everywhere and there was just him. The real truth that she wouldn't even admit to herself was that she was falling head over heals in love with him.

"Yeah I was just on my way out anyway, it was nice to see you too Buffy." Angel said stepping out the door storing the memory of her blush and the feeling of her hand on his arm.

After:

"How are we going to be safer in California than we were on the other side of country?" Buffy asked Angel from her seat across from him on the train. They had left the Boston apartment less than six hours earlier and were now on the train headed for the coast. Buffy didn't now how she felt about going to the sun shine state, it seemed too dangerous.

"If he can find us in Boston, he can find us anywhere; personally I was getting sick of the cold and thought it would be a nice change of climate. Besides we're going to LA not Sunnydale." Angel stretched his legs out so they were resting on the seat next to Buffy, he knew she was scared, he knew it because he was too.

"Oh," she said softly.

"Besides I'm sick of this shit," he looked into her eyes. "I mean our lives don't have to be this way, we did nothing wrong." She looked directly back into his eyes, "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time and now were paying for it." His voice softened. "The people we loved shouldn't have had to pay because of that, we shouldn't have to pay because of it. That's why were going back, we're going to figure out how to take him down."

"Angel he's the Mayor, and he has connections everywhere, how are we going to stop him?" She said harshly. She wanted to believe Angel that they could go back to having normal lives, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. So that meant squashing his.

"We're going to get him the same we got ourselves involved in this whole mess, we're going to do a little research." He smiled at her, "And I know just the man to help us."


	4. chapter 4

Well here's chapter 4!!! Thank you muchly to all the reviewers!!! In fact their the reason this chapter is coming out so soon...I hadn't originally planned for it until this weekend...keep reading and I hope you'll still like it.....

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After changing trains in Chicago, the pair were officially on there way to the City of Angels. Buffy was anxious at least over the past couple months she and Angel had been flying blind together but now they were going to be staying with his cousin. "Don't worry he lives under the radar, we'll be safe." Was all Angel had told her about his mystery relative.

Several hours later Buffy and Angel got off the train and walked into the dark train station. It was nice and warm but Buffy was still cold and clutched her sweater to her body.

"Excuse me Miss, I'm looking for the 11:30 train coming in from Chicago, do you know if it's arrived yet? I'm supposed to be picking up my cousin." A young Irishmen asked her, his smile was warm and Buffy thought if she weren't so afraid of trusting people she would have liked him.

"Doyle?" Angel asked as he peered at the man talking to Buffy.

"Angel man is that you?" Doyle asked making sure to keep his voice low. Never knew who could be hanging around.

"It's us," Angel smiled and extended his hand, Doyle took it and shook it firmly.

"Well what do you say the three of us get to your new place and have a nice chat." Doyle asked them as he helped Buffy with her bag and walked them over to his car.

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"So about tomorrow...." Buffy prodded

"What about tomorrow? Your ready right you have all your questions and everything?" Angel asked her a bit worried that maybe she hadn't done everything she was supposed to. He was sure she had though they had discussed it and he helped her with the questions.

"Of course I do Angel, you know that." She said reading his mind and smiling up at him. "It's just that I don't want to go alone and wanted to know if you would come with me." Angel could hear the tiny amount of fear in her voice. He put on his biggest reassuring smile,

"Sure, I'll be there I don't have any classes tomorrow afternoon so it should be fine. Should I pick you up here?"

"Thank you! But um could you pick me up at school, instead?" She asked not looking him in the eye. She knew that he knew Riley always gave her a ride home; he often was already in her driveway when they pulled up. She really didn't want to explain that her boyfriend had broken up with her because he thought she was in love with her history tutor. She especially didn't want Angel to know that she thought Riley might be right.

"Oh umm sure that's ok." Angel sat as he went over every scenario that would not allow Riley to drop off Buffy. He had noticed the boy becoming distant and he and Buffy's good-byes everyday getting shorter and shorter. Plus he would have to be an idiot not to notice the death glares he received from the boy everyday. "Are you and Riley in trouble?" Angel asked he knew he was pushing but something inside him wanted to know if Buffy, the sixteen year old girl he wasn't legally allowed to date, could possibly be single.

"We broke up," Buffy was shuffling with her papers on the table trying really hard not to look at him. She didn't want him to see how upset she wasn't.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Angel replied in a much huskier tone than he had meant too.

From his tone it sounded to Buffy like he wasn't very upset about it. She turned to look at him and was caught in his gaze, his eyes looking darker now. She reflexively swallowed at his intensity.

"You are?" She whispered incredibly conscious of him being only about a foot away from her.

Angel conscious of the vibe she was giving off immediately stood up and picked up his books. It was one thing to fantasize about moments like this but it was not OK live them out. "I should go." He said as he was putting stuff in his back pack, this time it was him who wouldn't look at her.

"Why? Angel you don't have too." Buffy jumped up and stood in front of him forcing him to look at her.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately." Angel said breaking eye contact

"So have and I think I know what you're going to say." Buffy spoke not noticing that he was still speaking.

"I shouldn't be around you anymore," He pulled his back pack up over his shoulder. "Because when I am all I can think about is how badly I want to kiss you." It was the last thing he had said that caught her attention.

"Kiss me?" Buffy looked directly at the pair of lips in front of her and all she could think about was what they might feel like pressed up against her own.

"I'm older than you." He said making the mistake of looking back into her eyes.

"Not by much." The whispering words coming out softly over her lips, as she inched closer to him.

He moved forward and before he was aware of it he was kissing her. He slipped his lips gently over hers barely touching them. But then his pent up feelings rose with in him, he lifted his hands to cradle her face as he applied more pressure to her lips. Licking the seam of her mouth with his tongue begging for her to let him in. She opened her mouth and he began to massage her tongue with his stroking it in a fierce pattern. He could hear her mewl of pleasure and felt her hands move up and down his back until they finally settled on the nape of his neck. He moved his own hand into her hair to gain better control of the kiss. He pulled away seconds later the need for air overcoming his need for Buffy.

"Wow," was all she could say. He had to agree with her.


	5. chapter 5

Chapter 5 is here! Big Hugs to everyone who's sending me reviews!!!

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The ride back to Doyle's wasn't long. He lived not three blocks from the shady area where the train station was located. So Angel was surprised when he drove straight past his building.

Buffy stared out the window, not recognizing this section of LA from her time before this life. When a monthly trip to LA with Cordelia was the norm, they never came to this section. But Buffy also noted how much it looked like every other slum Angel and she had lived in. Her seat in the back of Doyle's black Pinto allowed her some privacy, while Doyle and Angel got "caught up" in the front. They were taking about baseball as far as she could tell, something about the Red Sox.

Doyle pulled the car up in front of a large building with an enormous door.

"You guys will be staying here," He told them.

"But I thought we were staying with you?" Angel asked his cousin

"Well now that I see that you have the little Missus with you I know my apartment isn't going to do." Doyle looked at Buffy, his neighborhood was even worse than this one he knew he they'd be safer at his Boss' place.

"She can handle herself in a rough neighborhood; she'll be fine in yours." Angel answered.

"Angel, if he wants us to stay here instead of his own more dangerous place maybe we should stay here." Buffy added making sure he could hear the fear in her voice.

"Fine just tell me Doyle, where is here?" Angel asked turning looking up at the building.

Here ended up being an empty building Doyle cleaned for a man who lived in England. Apparently it had been his office many years ago and he still used it from time to time. It had a very spacious apartment in the basement, it came furnished with a bed, couch, armchair, and full kitchen set up.

They settled into the LA life quickly, both having been to the city before they knew the layout and Angel quickly got a job on the docks. Buffy stayed in the building most of the time, it was very big and very empty. She didn't need to clean this apartment so she found her days growing increasingly long and increasingly boring. The place didn't even have a TV. It was one night about a week after she and Angel had come back to the west coast that she asked him about his plan.

"Angel? I need to talk to you about something." Buffy asked walking into the kitchen area facing his back as he prepared his usual after work dinner of a ham sandwich.

"What about?" He answered only glancing at her for a moment as he looked through the fridge for the mayonnaise.

"Umm well I have nothing to do all day and I was wondering if you think it would be alright if I got a job or something?" Buffy hated the way the request came out of her mouth. She hated the idea that she had to ask Angel's permission to do anything. She was her own woman and Angel didn't run her life.

"Actually, I was gonna talk to you about that." He said picking up his finished sandwich, "I need you to go to library and restart research on the Mayor. I think the library should have the newspapers from the last year. And I need you to see if you can find anything on the Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. That's going to be a web search, most likely."

"Ok that's good will take up most of my time." Buffy thought out loud to herself. "But what if I don't find anything we can convict him on?"

"We will there has to be a paper trail somewhere."

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She was nervous, very nervous. Buffy sat on the front steps of her school trying to figure out what scared the most her interview with the Mayor or the fact that Angel was picking her up in about five minutes. She almost couldn't believe what had happened the day before. They had kissed. He had kissed her. She had kissed him back. After that first kiss she had done quite possibly the dumbest thing she ever could; she said 'wow'. But what was she supposed to do after a girl's been kissed like that her brain waves just stop functioning.

A slow smile spread across her lips as the memory became clearer, after the first kiss and her 'wow' fiasco they stared at each other for a moment.

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_There bodies still pressed up against each other only their faces apart. Then Angel was kissing her again, it was just as passionate as the first kiss but somehow softer giving Buffy the feeling that her body was just waking up. She lifted herself up on the table in order to get a better angle. After they both pulled away again, Angel spoke._

"_Buffy." He said softly just barely a whisper he was still in her arms his hands still roaming over her back and through her hair. "We really shouldn't be doing this." He said softly smiling at her as he brought the hand that had been massaging the small of her back up to her cheek. "But for some reason it feels right." _

_It was her turn to kiss him; she had lifted her face up to his and left a feather light kiss on his lips. _

"_Buffy? Angel? Are you guys here?" Joyce Summers yelled into the house. Luckily the open door blocked her view of the dinning room giving Angel and Buffy barely enough time to untangle themselves. _

"_We're in the dinning room Mom." Buffy called to her._

"_Angel how nice to see you., I thought your sessions on Thursday s ended earlier." Joyce asked perusing the pair. She took considerable notice of there disheveled appearances, swollen lips, and attempts to cover up there deer in head lights looks. She'd make sure to talk to Buffy about it later._

"_Yes well something came up that we needed to discuss in further detail." Buffy answered, thinking about a certain thing that definitely had popped up._

"_Yeah well I guess I should go now anyways, I'll pick you up tomorrow for the interview OK?" Angel said as he gathered his things off the table. _

"_Yep tomorrow, thanks again for the ride. If anything comes up and you can't make it just give me a call." Buffy said as she handed him one of his notebooks._

_He left smiling at Mrs. Summers as he stepped past her out the front door. _

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Buffy had been so lost in her memory she hadn't even noticed Angel's big black convertible pull up right in front of her.


	6. chapter 6

OK here is chapter 6!!!! And I'm gonna make a deal with you guys, I only have one story that I have never received a single review for, The Dawn Chronicles: Halloween. It just bugs me because it's the only one without a review. So here's the deal, if I get at least one review for TDC: H, I will post two chapters at once!!! So if want a double update send me a review.-tizzy (PS-Extra Big Hugs to everyone who sends me reviews for anything)

Now here's the story....

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Buffy sat at the bus stop the next day waiting for the 11:30 to take her to the library. She was anxious this was the longest she had ever been out without Angel since they had left Sunnydale. But she didn't feel that profound sense of freedom she probably should instead she felt scared. Scared that somehow they would find her and after that she didn't want to think about what would happen. Buffy hated having to look over her shoulder all the time. She hated feeling helpless, she had purposefully taken every self defense class she could in Sunnydale. She never wanted to be a victim, she had learned the hard way though that you could be a black belt and still be put in jeopardy. She shook off the thought as she saw the bus approaching.

'Great now only two stops until the library,' Buffy though to herself while she was looking for a seat.

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Working at the loading docks defiantly had its disadvantages, there was the always smelling like the cigarettes, fish, and grim; and then the fact that you made nothing for a lot of really hard work. It was the latter that annoyed Angel the most, the fact that if it weren't for Doyle hooking them up with a place to stay he would never have been able to support Buffy and himself. He never really thought of sending Buffy off to work, he probably should have but he guessed in his head he thought if Buffy had a job it meant they were putting down roots. Roots lead to being caught and lead to accepting there new lives.

"Hey, Devlin! We need you over here." Angel looked up from his measly lunch and let his thoughts go when his supervisor, Ted, called him. "We have another freighter coming in; need to get everything unloaded of this truck then loaded on to it. You're on the unloading team."

"Alright I'll get to it then." Angel answered. It was getting to the point where he almost felt like his name really was Devlin. Instead of it just being the name he ripped off from his dead great grandfather. It had really only been a coincidence that Buffy's middle name and his great grandmother's first name were the same. But it made it easier for them to keep up there identities if they felt a little real.

In fact, Angel often thought about how he was supposed to be named after his grandfather. But after his mother went through such a difficult pregnancy with him she decided to call him Angel because they had both survived.

His mother had been diagnosed with cancer six months into her pregnancy. He had never been told exactly what was wrong except 'Cancer they found it late'. She had refused treatment during her pregnancy so the cancer had spread fast. By the time Angel was born there was nothing they could do but wait. She died when he was three months old. No one really knew what had happened to his father except that he wasn't in the picture. So Angel was sent off to live with his grandparents, after attending boarding schools in the east for most of his life. Angel had decided to come back to Sunnydale permanently by attending UC Sunnydale. But it wasn't meant to be before he even finished his firstyear he had been literally run out of town.

"Liam man, hey stop day-dreaming about your hot little wife, and help us unload this thing!" Angel looked up at the voice that had called his name seeing it was Gunn. Gunn was a street thug who worked on the docks to help support the kids in his neighborhood. Angel though he was a good guy honest and loyal. The two were friendly at work, but it was an accident that Gunn had met Buffy at all.Angel had accidentally cut his hand a couple days before and Gunn had called Buffy when Angel had refused to go the hospital.

Angel knew that Gunn probably didn't think his real name was Liam and understood his reluctance to go to the hospital. Hospitals meant records, and Gunn knew that pretty much everyone who worked the docks didn't want any of the authorities to find them.

"Hey you saw my wife! It's pretty damn hard not to think about her." Angel joked back.

"Yeah sure, you better get to work before that psycho-robot of a boss of ours decides to fire your ass and then your little woman leaves you because you can't support her!" Gunn pointed out.

"Whatever lets just unload this thing and then maybe we can all go home." Angel replied and then started to pull crates off the freighter.


	7. chapter 7

OK everyone has to thank Charisma for sending a review for The Dawn Chronicles. So now you get two chapters for the price of one!!!! So big hug for her!! And keep sending reviews!!!!!

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It was a very big car; Buffy had only been it once before to help him get some books from the back she remembered feeling especially tiny. She liked that feeling, it was funny how Angel always seemed so big and yet he always made her feel so safe.

He saw her sitting on the steps of her school; she was so beautiful and was so unbelievably nervous. They hadn't had much time to talk after her mother had walked in she had walked to him to his car and told him should would see him the next day. It was a tense good-bye especially considering they both had a feeling that Mrs. Summers knew and she was definitely looking out the window. Angel smiled at the thought; kissing Buffy had been better than he had ever dreamed it could be. Pulling up in front of the school Angel stopped the car and got out to greet Buffy.

"Hey," Buffy said standing up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while looking at her feet. Angel walked up to her deciding that he needed to be the strong one he tilted her chin back up.

"Hi, don't look at your cute little feet," Angel smiled out, "Look at me." When Buffy lifted her head she was greeted by his sexy little half smile that almost made her knees go weak. She just couldn't help but smile back. It was then that he leaned in to kiss her softly.

"We're gonna be late." She said smiling ear to ear after they pulled apart.

"Well then," Angel moved to the passenger side door. "Your chariot waits."

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"Angel?" Buffy called from where she was sitting at the kitchen table looking over the library records. She had everything she could check out and everything she could copy in order to do her research. So far though the Los Angeles public library had very little on the Mayor of Sunnydale, after all he was just a small town civil servant. Her research into the man who had shown up on the doorstep in Boston was also pulling up nothing. But it was the noise on the stairs that made her jump. Angel wasn't supposed to be home from work for another 3 hours. When there was no response as to who had made the noise Buffy began to panic.

Getting up Buffy ran for the door she had been told led to the sewers she could escape through that route. Then she would surface and find Angel then they would try to figure out a way out of LA. She had known in the beginning this was not an option; it had taken them much longer to find them on the east coast than it had taken them here. If Angel wanted nicer weather they could move to Miami.

Before she could get to the door Buffy remembered the emergency pack in the kitchen, it contained money, identification, even a change of clothes for them. Knowing it was vital she had it she ran back for it, deciding she should probably grab her papers too. On her way to the kitchen she hit a large body. Acting out of instinct Buffy did what she felt was right, she screamed.

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Angel smoothly turned the steering wheel around like the car was apart of him. Buffy watched intensely, she herself though loathe to admit was a horrible driver. Car plus Buffy usually was met with great amounts of badness. The roads of the town she had called home all her days seemed different from her view inside Angel's car. The black leather seats were cool on the backs of her exposed legs.

"Angel, what is going on with us?" Buffy asked. Despite his attentions when he picked her up Buffy still wasn't a hundred percent on their new situation, did this mean when she got correct answers she got kisses and good grades? Were they going to tell her Mom, she would murder them. She noticed he had pulled into a parking space in front of City Hall; he cut the engine and turned to look at her.

He had been thrown slightly by her question. He figured they were together now, he liked her, he was pretty damn sure she liked him what was telling her mind to doubt that? Checking the clock to make sure he had time before here interview, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I like you Buffy, I like you a lot." He looked into her eyes making sure she saw the truth in his dark chocolate eyes. "I also think you like me too, as for us; I think we have to see where that road takes us. Whether it be more of these," he leaned in and left a soft kiss on her lips that only told of pleasures to come, "or something else entirely." He looked at his watch, "But for now we have to get in there to do your interview and get you an A on your final paper."

He stepped out of the car and then went over to her side and opened the door for her. Taking her hand they walked up the steps to the Mayors office.

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The whistle was blowing and Angel was tired, the last load with Gunn had been a killer. There was definitely a reason they called Ted the machine. Walking off the docks and beginning the long walk to the bus stop Angel heard the sound of screeching tires behind him.

"Hey Liam, you want a ride?" Gunn called from his truck. "You'll get back home sooner."

"Wipe that grin off your face!" Angel took the moment to deliberate Gunn's offer. It would get him home sooner and Buffy had said she had all the information she could find form the library. He had wanted to comb through it that night, plus seeing Buffy sooner would definitely make his day better. He had been leaving early in the mornings and getting home tired it didn't leave much room for trying to win Buffy back. "Thanks Gunn," He said climbing into the truck. "This is nice, if you can afford this on our salary I was severely misled." Gunn laughed at the comment.

"No, I worked a lot of jobs, in the end though I still had to practically sell my soul for it." Gunn's eyes turned a slight shade darker as he pulled down the road.

"Oh, one question though," Gunn quirked his eyebrows at his new found friend, "What did you do the hood?" Angel asked making reference to the metal hoops bolted to the hood.

"Long weird story." Was all Gunn would reveal Angel had a feeling it was an interesting tale but didn't pry. The spent the rest of the drive back to Angels place in a companionable silence.


	8. chapter 8

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"Will you stop screaming please? I'm a bit hung over and you have quite the set of pipes!" Doyle barked at Buffy, she abruptly stopped screaming. "Are you always this jumpy?" Doyle was unusually grump, his normal morning hang over had come back with a vengeance and he was out of liquor and pain killers. In fact that's why he was in the basement apartment; he left some ibuprofens in the bathroom once.

"What do you want? Do you always force yourself into other people's homes? You can't just come into someone's home uninvited?" Buffy voice started to crack she had started out yelling at him but the images of her trashed childhood home filled her head. "You can't just barge..." Buffy couldn't help the tears that began to flow down her cheeks; she took a step back so that she was now touching the fridge. Doyle could only stare at her in shock. He understood that he may have scared the girl but this was a bit extreme.

Tentatively he stepped forward and reached for her; this seemed to cause a bad reaction. Buffy saw his approaching hand and it wasn't his hand anymore it was the other man's.

"No, don't touch me, you can't touch me." She cried angrily through her tears as she curled herself into a ball on the kitchen floor. Doyle just stepped back and stared at her trying to figure out a way to help her.

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The City Hall building looked like most important government buildings. Roman style pillars were in the front a stone stair case led from the side walk to the brick building that housed all of Sunydale's important civil servants.

Climbing up the grand staircase to the building Buffy and Angel joked and flirted, laughing the whole way up. There were quite a few stairs and Angel was noticing the light sweat that had began collecting on Buffy's brow from the power of the hot sun and the steep climb. He was almost so distracted he almost missed her next teasing remark.

"What happens when I get an A on my paper?" Buffy said laughing as Angel came around to open the door to City Hall. Feigning pulling the door handle instead he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. "Hmm more of that I hope," Buffy responded softly their foreheads still touching.

"Much more," he replied back then quickly kissed her on her lips. "Plus I was thinking maybe we could do dinner. You know, go on a real date?" He smiled down at her then opened the door, waiting for her to walk through.

"A real date? Sounds nice." Buffy said as she walked through the heavy door into the dark foyer of the building.

"But Angel," Buffy said in her best mock innocent voice, "What if I don't get an A?"

"Baby, I'll make sure you get an A." He responded his voice extra husky.

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"Buffy, I'm home." Angel called from the stairs.

"Angel, get down her quick man there's something wrong with the lass!" He heard Doyle's voice call from the kitchen. Jumping the rest of the stairs Angel sprinted the short distance to the kitchen seeing Doyle standing by table staring at an obviously distraught Buffy who was curled up next to the refrigerator. With a soft vacant look in her eyes.

"Buffy," Angel spoke softly while scooping her up into his arms. Sitting down on the floor and pulling her into his lap rocking her softly in his arms. "It's ok it was just Doyle. Nothing is ever going to happen to you. I'll never let anything happen to you." He whispered to her. Doyle just stared at the couple watching how Buffy relaxed in Angel's arms, how she seemed to calm and the life began to return to her eyes again.

"Doyle, why don't you go and wait for me in the living room, OK?" Angel told the stunned Doyle. Still holding Buffy in his arms he picked her up and paused, waiting for Doyle's response.

"Oh yeah, umm I'll just be in the living room." Doyle turned around and made his way to the living room. Crashing down on the couch, he put his head in his hands. He could hear Angel still telling Buffy words of comfort, he assumed he had taken her to the bedroom and he was proven correct when he heard the bedroom door shut.

Angel approached Doyle from behind making sure he could hear him coming. Taking a seat in the chair opposite the couch Angel sat down.

"Is she gonna be alright man? She looked pretty shaken up"

"She'll be fine; this is the first time this has happened since we got to LA. At least she's getting better." The last sentence was said mostly for his own benefit. It was progress they had been in LA two weeks and only this attack so far. Plus she had been nicer to him lately maybe the colder weather had hardened her beautiful heart. Whatever it was he was thankful for it. She was the only bright light in his dank world. Doyle looked at him expectantly and then started to speak.

"Angel you have been very cryptic with this whole deal!" Doyle stood up and began pacing the small area of the room. "Even after I made you tell me what was going I'm sure as hell you didn't tell me everything! Especially now, Angel what in the name of all that is holy is going on? I understand you fell in with some bad folk, pissed off the wrong people, but I just don't..."

"They killed her Mom." Angel said lifting his head to look in her eyes. "They burned down our grandparent's old house; I was living there at the time. They were trying to kill me." Angel stared deeply into his eyes, Doyle sat back down.

"Jesus Christ Angel! This is deeper than I ever thought." Doyle responded looking straight back into his cousin's intense gaze.

"It really is." Angel sighed closing his eyes and leaning his head back. "I don't want to endanger you too by telling you too much, but I guess I should at least fill you in a bit more."


End file.
